Phiya Kushi's Blog: Musings on life and macrobiotics

The Most Macrobiotic Person Alive Today Whom I Have Met…

Having been born to Michio and Aveline Kushi I have seen a lot of macrobiotic people in my life. However, among them all, including the macrobiotic teachers, there are very few whom I have met who exemplify a truly macrobiotic life. For me the criteria boils downs to a few simple points:

They must be at least 80 years old

They must be in fine health and still active

They must have a global vision that everyone can join which they are still actively pursuing

Even though my father is over 80, he does not qualify because, although he is an excellent teacher and messenger, he has not always taken care of his health. Another possible candidate was Dr. Benjamin Spock, but he too was not in perfect health. Lima Ohsawa was definitely the most macrobiotic woman I personally knew. She lived to 100 and continued to give cooking classes in her 90s.

I used to call a friend of mine, Waddy Fyler, the most macrobiotic man I knew when I started thinking about this designation. At 86, he is in wonderful health. He has his own organic garden and the water in his home is spring fed and he cooks his own macrobiotic meals everyday. He is still very active and is pursuing a dream to show the world of the benefits of macrobiotics. He was the first, in my mind, until I remembered this other man whom I’ve known for over twenty years. Waddy is now the second most macrobiotic person I know after him.

The first most macrobiotic man I know is Mr. Garry Davis, the first World Citizen and an inspiration to many including Albert Einstein, Nehru, and even George Ohsawa and my parents. He is alive and well at 88 and lives in Burlington, Vermont. He still actively pursues his dream of a World Government of World Citizens. Garry doesn’t eat meat and he firmly believes that eating it contributes to the world’s problems. You can see a short film clip about him here and what his life has been about:

There was a man from China who’s death was verified and posted in the New York Herald in 1933, in that he was 256 years old. Both his parents had lived well over 100. He did his own cooking, outlived 24 wives and god only knows how many kids he had. He taught classes on longevity, went barefoot and had ginseng everyday after he was 50 years old. I write this from memory of an article in a book on herbs I read at least 35 years ago. His name was Li and I will look into more on him, but if only a little of the story is true, this would have been a man I would have followed around and taken notes about.

Thank you so much Phiya for posting this! The last time I saw you was at Joe Arseguel’s funeral. Joe’s father lived to be almost 96 but Joe was only 74 and suffered from emphysema the last 15 years of his life and was difficult to be around. Smoking shortened a lot of macrobiotic peoples lives, Yesterday, Paco de Lucia who was considered by most to be the greatest flamenco player alive, passed away at 66 and he was a heavy pot and cigarette smoker. Commercial Cigarettes are full of rat poison and other carcinogens, not to mention tar & nicotine, as well. Why do you think so many of us followed the example of our mentor, Goeorge Ohsawa and smoked? I am glad I quit many years ago,but I know it damaged my liver. I have always had very strong lungs so i was very lucky to have escaped lung cancer, etc.I have been athletic all my life. so perhaps that is the reason but I really don’t know. I do know that smoking is a killer! My stepfather died from smoking, and so did my grandmother, whom I loved deeply. I hope all macrobiotic people who are still smoking quit that foul, dirty and dangerous habit! Peace, Dan